That’s the question really. Are the jockey wheels too narrow, or what else makes the difference?

yes with a sram shifter and a spacer washer. plenty of threads on this before if you search
the difference is the cable pull ratio

as above threads about bodging it but why?

either get a budget 9sp to tide you over or upgrade, 10sp is good progress.

Well maybe the op wants a clutch mech without springing for entire new drive train? i do too!

Didn’t ‘old school’ mtb’ers used to use these?… 🙂

I digress…

In short no, the throw of the mech is differant so it will not index correctly. You can work round it as above. but you’ll need a sram shifter and some fettling time. Its ok if you have one but if not, thats a mech and shifter to buy, all you need is a chain and cassette and you have a 10speed set up.

do-able yes, worth it hummmmm?

10sp is good progress

Please explain why? More gears is a law of diminishing returns. I do not really notice different gap between gears on my 9 speed and 10 speed bike. The only reason for 10 speed is so that you have to shell out on new gear as far as I can tell. The 10 speed chain seems to wear quicker and it is harder to fit the chain link.

I also run a Sram 9 speed shifter and a 10 speed shadow plus rear mech and it works fine.

10sp is good progress
Please explain why?

I can get a bigger range of gears from 2 chainrings which means the larger ring is properly obsolete. The extra step you can get at the back to a lower gear means you can increase the size of the granny ring to compensate and run a larger middle ring if required and keep a sensible gap.

There is some anecdotal evidence that the 10sp chains are lasting longer.

It makes a lot of sense to me and have refined the 9sp setup I had to something much better.

I’ve been looking into this myself.

Anyone tried it with a ZEE mech?

I have a 2×9 setup with 36/22 front and 32/11 rear.

I have a 10spd Zee+ mech w/cable spacer, 9spd road cassette and Sram 9spd shifter on my DH bike.

I can get a bigger range of gears from 2 chainrings which means the larger ring is properly obsolete. The extra step you can get at the back to a lower gear means you can increase the size of the granny ring to compensate and run a larger middle ring if required and keep a sensible gap.

There is some anecdotal evidence that the 10sp chains are lasting longer.

It makes a lot of sense to me and have refined the 9sp setup I had to something much better.

Your post does not make a lot of sense. I am running 1X9 with a thick thin 38 front and cannot remember the number of teeth the cassette is at the back but I have not found any hills that are steep enough to need more. Like I said the “Only” difference between 9 and 10 speed is the step between the gears. I have never ever ever thought that there was too much of a gap between shifts so like I said adding more gears is a law of diminishing returns but it does made lots of money for the big S’s. They say thanks to you.

10sp is good progress

Can’t say I agree, more gears (when I thought 24 was plenty) less range, having to buy a shifter & cassette just to get the clutch mech to work (that I’m not 100% sold on yet due to reports of accelerated cable wear & numerous reports of mech breakages)

I am running 1X9 with a thick thin 38 front and cannot remember the number of teeth the cassette is at the back but I have not found any hills that are steep enough to need more.

well done you either have massive legs or live somewhere flat. My 10sp cassette has a bigger range than my 9sp ones ever did. Which means I can get a better range than I did with 2×9 with gears I am happy with. I did 1×9 for a while with 36 up front but got bored of carrying up steep mountains

and my general advice up top is to keep going with one or do the full upgrade, like it or not 9sp is on the way out and they wont make things like clutch mechs in 9sp. I upgraded when I got a new bike, there is always a point where it makes sense to replace the lot.

mikewsmith – Member
I am running 1X9 with a thick thin 38 front and cannot remember the number of teeth the cassette is at the back but I have not found any hills that are steep enough to need more.
well done you either have massive legs or live somewhere flat.

Just what I was thinking +

The 10 speed chain seems to wear quicker

Bit of a link there maybe? 💡

It would not matter if I ran 32 at the front and hills are steep and techy where I live. (Ok My 2×10 is 38 at the front. The 29er 1×9 is 36 at the front)

I kind of disagree about the ever increasing amount of gears as there is no actual benefit except the artificial one of not implementing new stuff like the clutch mech or bigger ranges. Some small company could make a lighter 9speed rear cassette and drop some of the sprockets.

Same top end, same low end just more steps in between.

more gears is…

I never seem to run out of gears using a Rohloff & the gaps are not to large.

@ndavids- the spacer method will work with any SRAM X5-or-upwards 9-speed shifter and any Shimano 10-speed mech. (I’ve got an XT, an SLX and a Saint all running perfectly on 9-speed shifters and cassettes and briefly had an XTR). There’s not a hint of bodge about it, shifting is just… normal.

(the irony is, Shimano used the change to 10-speed to quietly rip off SRAM, changing the cable ratio to be very similiar and making the shifters more positive. So the “obsolete” X9 I use actually feels almost the same as the latest and greatest Saint)

Course, it makes no sense to build it this way if you don’t already have all the 9-speed kit, if you end up having to buy a new shifter you’re halfway to just buying 10-speed.

GEDA – Member

I am running 1X9 with a thick thin 38 front and cannot remember the number of teeth the cassette is at the back but I have not found any hills that are steep enough to need more.

Since when was steep the problem? Steep, you attack with a higher gear. But long and slightly steep is where lower gears come into their own. Lots of 1×9 and 1×10 fans were eating their words at the dudes of hazzard enduro last year with the relentless grind up past mamore lodge.

If you can use a spacer to alter the pull ratio for an X9 9 speed shifter with a Shimano clutch mech, has anyone tried it the other way – to enable a 10 speed clutch mech to work with a Shimano 9 speed shifter?

The ratios are very different, one of the reasons 10-speed Shimano is so good is that they ripped off SRAM’s cable pull ratio.

I am running 1X9 with a thick thin 38 front and cannot remember the number of teeth the cassette is at the back but I have not found any hills that are steep enough to need more. Like I said the “Only” difference between 9 and 10 speed is the step between the gears

But that’s just not true. Without bodging or going for some obscure brand the widest 9 speed cassette was 11-34. For 10 speed it’s 11-36.

To the OP

YES FFS YES!!! Do a search! (but you’ll need a SRAM shifter)

How many times do people have to ask the same damn question!!!???

There are no new questions. So, lots.

There’s no such thing as a stupid question.
Only stupid answers
If you don’t know, you need to ask.

I kind of disagree about the ever increasing amount of gears

Correct me if I’m wrong, but 2×10 is less, not more, gears than 3×9 or 3×8…. 😛

Without bodging or going for some obscure brand the widest 9 speed cassette was 11-34. For 10 speed it’s 11-36.

12-36 9 speed deore cassette on my setup. Main benefit of 10 speed is the clutch mech surely that and a slightly nicer jump between gears.

This appeals to me as I have all XO 9-speed carbon shifters, rear cassette, mech etc.
So to get a clutch mech I either need to go Full 10 speed, or just get a clutch rear mech and a spacer

To me its a no brainer, otherwise I’d be throwing away some pretty decent kit for nothing ?

PeterPoddy – Member

If you don’t know, you need to ask.

Or, search, or google.

12-36 9 speed deore cassette on my setup. Main benefit of 10 speed is the clutch mech surely that and a slightly nicer jump between gears.

Which is a narrower range than 11-34, whilst weighing about the same as an entire 10 speed group set. My original point stands.

Peter 1×9 or 2×9 is less than 2×10 and 1×10. Nobody has yet posted a good reason why 10 speed is any better than 9 speed but for the ‘manufactured’ ones. I have one bike with 2×9, one with 1×9 with a clutch mech and thick thin chainring and one that is 2×10. My favorite is the 1×9 but it lacks a bit of top end that running 2 rings at the front offers as I tend to spin out sometimes.

And 10 speed can help very slightly in that respect by offering a wider cassette.

Considering 10 speed tuff can be had for less money than 9 speed, particularly if you’re buying a whole group set its not exactly a conspiracy to make you buy new stuff!

GEDA – Member

Peter 1×9 or 2×9 is less than 2×10 and 1×10. Nobody has yet posted a good reason why 10 speed is any better than 9 speed but for the ‘manufactured’ ones

Agree with this. But, sadly it doesn’t matter, SRAM and Shimano decided to keep the new tricks for 10-speed only. Shimano were especially cheeky, claiming it was impossible for their 9-speed mechs to do 36T, right up until the day they decided to sell one.

But you know what? It doesn’t matter.

Dont worry about gears, Focus on getting gears in your legs 🙂

Or, search, or google.

Or ask. And hope some clever dick doesn’t reply. 😛